Golf club supporting member



Dec. 16, 1969 w. J. SCAMMON 3,483,996

GOLF CLUB SUPPORTING MEMBER Filed July 28, 1967 INVENTOR United States Patent 3,483,996 GOLF CLUB SUPPORTING MEMBER William John Scamrnon, San Mateo, Calif. (2332 Casabona Ave., Belmont, Calif. 94002) Filed July 28, 1967, Ser. No. 656,885 Int. Cl. A47f 7/00 US. Cl. 211-60 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A support member for use in securing golf clubs to the support column of a golf club carrier. The member is preferably fabricated of a unitary block of elastomeric material, such as nylon, and comprises a central body portion having an aperture therein adapted to be received around the column and a pair of spring clips projecting, respectively, from opposite sides of the body portion. The spring clips each comprise bifurcated jaws adapted to engage and retain the shaft of a golf club thereb tween. Means, such as a set screw, threadably received in the body portion, is provided to secure the member against movement relative to a column about which the aperture is received.

The present invention relates to a golf club supporting member and, more particularly, is directed to such a member designed for use in detachably securing golf clubs to frame-like carriers.

In the prior art, various types of frame-like golf club carriers have been provided. These carriers typically employ a pair of transversely spaced upright columns across which the shafts or golf clubs may be detachably secured for support and carrying. To provide for resting of such carriers, feet or one or more ground engaging probes are associated with the columns. Clips secured to the columns in transversely aligned relationship provide for detachable securing of golf club shafts thereacross.

The clips employed with frame-like prior art golf club carriers have typically comprised metallic spring elements fixedly secured directly to the upright columns. These clips have suffered from many disadvantages. One of the prime disadvantages resides in their tendency to mar the shafts of golf clubs engaged thereby. Another disadvantage resides in their propensity to fail from fatigue after repeated use. Still another disadvantage of such clips resides in the fact that they provide no effective means for selectively varying the distance between the golf club shafts supported thereby. These operational disadvantages of clips employing metallic spring elements are accompanied by relatively high manufacture and assembly costs.

In summary, the present invention may be said to reside in an improvement for a golf club carrier of the type having a pair of framing columns disposed in transversely spaced relationship. The improvement comprises club supporting members disposed, respectively, on each of the columns for support thereby and means securing the members to the respective columns in transversely aligned pairs. Each of the members has a centrally located aperture received around the column upon which it is disposed and spring clips projecting from opposite sides thereof for selective engagement with and support of a golf club shaft. In operation, the clios on the transversely aligned members are adapted to effect the conjoint support of a golf club shaft.

It is, accordingly, a principal object of the present invention to provide a golf club supporting member for use on frame-like golf club carriers in place of the metallic spring elements which have been employed on such carriers in the prior art.

Another and related object of the invention is to provide such a member which avoids the disadvantages and relatively high cost inherent with the metallic spring elements employed in the prior art.

These and other objects and the details of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a frame-like golf club carrier employing the improvement of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a frame-like golf club carrier employing the improvement of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial elevational view of the improvement taken on the plane designated by line 3-3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the improvement shown in FIG. 3, illustrating the column of the carrier therein in section.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the carrier with which the improvement is employed is designated in its entirety by the numeral 10. This carrier is of relatively conventional nature and comprises a frame of generally inverted U-shaped character defined by a pair of upright columns 12 and 14 interconnected by an upper bight portion 16. The bight portion 16 has an enlarged cylindrical grip 18 received therearound. The lower ends of the columns 12 and 14 have ground engaging probes 20 and 22, respectively, afifixed thereto and extending downwardly therefrom. A reinforcing brace 24 is fixed to and extends between the columns 12 and 14 immediately above the probes 20 and 22. The relatively conventional construction of the carrier 10 is completed by a ball carriage 26 mounted between the columns 12 and 14 above the brace 24. Golf balls, designated by the numeral 23, are shown received in the carriage 26 in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the probes 20 and 22 engaged in the ground, designated by the numeral 30, to effect upright support of the carrier. It is to be understood that the probes 20 and 22 may be readily removed from the ground by lifting the carrier through means of the grip 18. The grip 18 also facilitates transport of the carrier in much the same manner of a conventional suitcase grip facilitates transport of a suitcase.

The improvement of the present invention is directed, primarily, to golf club supporting members adapted to detachably secure golf clubs to the columns 12 and 14 for support thereby. These members correspond identically in construction and are each designated by the numeral 32. In the preferred embodiment, the members 32 are fabricated of a unitary block of elastomeric material, such as nylon, and a plurality of the members are disposed on each of the columns.

Each of the members 32 comprises a central body portion 34 and a pair of spring clips 36 formed integrally with and projecting from opposite sides of the body portion. The body portion of each clip has an aperture 38 extending therethrough for slidable receipt around the column upon which it is disposed. A set screw 40 extends threadably through the body portion 34 of each of the members into communication with the aperture 38 therein. Through employment of the set screws, the members 32 may be fixed to the columns upon which they are disposed at varying positions relative to each other and the upper and lower extremities of the carrier 10. Selective positioning of a member is effected by first loosening the set screw from engagement with the column upon which the member is disposed, sliding the member on the column to the desired position and finally tightening the set screw into secure engagement with the column.

The spring clips 36 each comprise a pair of bifurcated jaws adapted to grip and retain a golf club shaft therebetween. Each pair of jaws defines a generally cylindrical shaft receiving cavity 42 therebetween. The cavities 42 defined by the jaws projecting from opposite ends of each of the members 32 extend in a direction normal to the aperture 38 extending through the central body portion of the member. Spaced distal end portions 44 on each pair of the jaws provided for selective insertion and removal of a golf club shaft from the cavity defined therebetween. To facilitate the latter operation, the jaws defining each of the cavities 42 are adapted to resiliently deflect upon forcing of a golf club shaft between the distal end portions thereof.

In order to prepare the carrier for operation, the members 32 on the respective columns 12 and 14 are moved to the desired positions on the columns in pairs having the clips thereof disposed in transverse alignment. The positions may be selected to maintain any spaced relationship between the members and the upper and lower extremities of the carrier and, thus, provide for any desired spacing of the clubs to be supported by the members. Preparation is completed by tightening the set screws 40 in the respective members into engagement with the columns upon which they are disposed to fix the members at the select positions.

Once the carrier is so prepared, it is employed in substantially the same manner as a conventional frame-like golf club carrier. Specifically, the shaft of each of the clubs to be supported thereby, designated by the numeral 46 in FIG. 1, is simply forced into engagement between the jaws of a desired pair of transversely aligned spring clips. As can be seen from FIG. 1, each transversely aligned pair of the supporting members 32 facilitates the support of a pair of golf club shafts on opposite sides of the columns 12 and 14. When it is desired to remove a club from the carrier, it is simply necessary to pull the shaft thereof in a direction substantially normal to the plane defined by the columns 12 and 14. Insertion of a golf club shaft into engagement with a desired pair of the transversely aligned spring clips is also, naturally, effected by forcing the shaft between the distal end portions of the clips in a direction substantially normal to the plane defined by the columns 12 and 14.

In FIG. 1, a gadget bag 48 is shown supported between the clips to one side of the upper most supporting members. This bag is supported on a shaft 50 extending therethrough having substantially the same cross sectional dimensions as a golf club shaft. Thus, the bag 48 may be selectively engaged and disengaged from the carrier similarly to the golf clubs.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that variations may be made without departing from the invention. For example, it is anticipated that at least certain of the club supporting members may be fixedly secured to the supporting columns therefor without provision for their selective adjustment. Such an arrangement may be found particularly desirable for the uppermost and/or lowermost supporting members on the carrier.

What is claimed is:

1. In a golf club carrier having a pair of framing columns disposed in transversely spaced relationship, the improvement comprising:

(a) club supporting members disposed, respectively, on each of said columns for support thereby, said members each being formed of a unitary block of elastomeric material and having:

(1) a centrally located aperture received around the column upon which it is disposed; and (2) spring clips projecting from opposite sides thereof, said clips each having at least one shaft engageable element disposed for selective engagement with a golf club shaft to effect the support of the shaft with its axis in generally right angled relationship to the columns;

(b) set screws threadably received, respectively, in each of said blocks for selective locking engagement with the column upon which the member formed thereby is disposed to secure the members to the respective columns in pairs having the clips thereof aligned for engagement with and conjoint support of a golf club shaft whereby each of said pairs may be employed for the support of a pair of golf club shafts disposed, respectively, on opposite sides of said columns.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,418,093 5/1922 Parameter 211- X 2,161,855 6/1939 Copell 248-3165 2,737,990 3/1956 De Marco 211-60 X 2,902,821 9/1959 Kelly 248-68 X 2,913,740 11/1959 Eldridge 248-68 X 3,056,412 10/1962 Wolfe 248-316 X 3,173,987 3/1965 Potruch 248-62 X 3,228,640 1/1966 Wolsh 248-74 X CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

